Southern California -- this just in

On the "Today" show this morning, NBC aired more of its exclusive interview with octuplets' mom Nadya Suleman, who told the network she is not collecting welfare, despite confirmations from her publicist Monday to The Times that she is receiving $490 in monthly food stamps and three of her children receive federal supplemental security income because of their disabilities.

That confirmation came after two sources informed The Times of the benefits. In addition, Kaiser Permanente, where her children were born, has requested funding from Medi-Cal, the state's healthcare program for the poor, to help pay for the octuplets' medical care, sources said.

"I am responsible," Suleman told NBC's Ann Curry. "I am not on welfare and, again, I don't want to disparage or seem like I'm disparaging any individual who uses welfare as a form of a resource. It can be a valuable resource as long as they are not taking advantage of it and are working toward a specific goal. I have chosen not to go on it. I feel as though it is my responsibility to do what I can to provide for my children."

She said she has no income but would go back to school and use student loans to help support her 14 children. She said she now has an "alternative source of income" that would probably run out before she returns to school.

"So I have my own way, an alternative way, but it works," she said.

She said she worked double shifts and hoarded money to pay for the in vitro fertilizations, which she used to become pregnant with all of her children.

"My friends said, 'Were you saving up for a house, a car?' I was like, 'No, babies,' " Suleman said in the interview.

She said she has spent close to $100,000 in in vitro procedures at West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills, run by Dr. Michael Kamrava.